Field Set for Maui Invitational

The good folks who run the Maui Invitational just sent over the bracket for this year's tournament. Maryland will take on host Chaminade in the first round on Nov. 23 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time. The game will be televised by ESPNU.

The winner of that game will take on the winner of the Cincinnati-Vanderbilt matchup in round two, which means the Terrapins could get an up-close look at Bearcats freshman Lance Stephenson, who once was highly recruited by the Maryland coaching staff. Should Maryland win its first game, it will play at 7 p.m. on Nov. 24. The championship game is Nov. 25 at 10 p.m.

On the other side of the bracket, Colorado will face Gonzaga and Arizona will square off against Wisconsin in the first round.

I think the Terps can definitely win the tournament, though I almost wish they didn't have to play Chaminade in the first round. Only bad things can happen when you play a team like that. I realize that Chaminade never wins a game in the Invitational, but look at some of the teams the Terps have managed to choke against at home in recent years and perhaps you can understand my worry.

How much did Gary have to pay the tournament committe to get a draw like that???

The Terps are definitely on the "soft" half of the draw. Even their second round matchup (win or lose) would be against a third tier BCS conference team. Not having to matchup against Gonzaga, Arizona, or Wisconsin until the final is a definite plus!!! The only bad thing is if the Terps come out of this tourney 1-2, it could prove dealy to their RPI. A 2-1 record (assuming the loss is NOT to Chamenade) would give the Terps a good start heading into a pretty tough non-conference schedule (Indiana, Villanova, GW, and other locals) .

This is the weakest Maui field I've ever seen - good for the Terps! Cincinnati will be an interesting team, but Maryland is a year ahead of them, I think. Arizona is in complete rebuild mode with Sean Miller.

As a Xavier alum and Terp fan, I hope Maryland get the chance to beat the hell out of Cincinnati (and/or Arizona). I can see the Terps making it to a tough final match-up vs. Gonzaga or Wisco.